One of the NHL’s best all-time players suited up for eight franchises, with three of those teams still active in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The FanDuel Sportsbook is currently offering an interesting prop bet worth tracking, highlighting whether or not one of Jaromir Jagr’s former teams will win the Stanley Cup vs. the field.
Jagr Former Teams +146 (Devils, Panthers, Stars) vs. -188 The Field (Hurricanes, Oilers, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights)
What better time to play this, as Jagr continues to play hockey in the top professional league in the Czech Republic, the Extraliga. Jagr is one of the most skilled players to ever suit up in the NHL, where he recorded 1,921 career points in 1,733 games played.
The former Penguin suited up for the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and New Jersey Devils, among others, during his long-tenured NHL career.
With these three teams still fightingto win it all, let’s check in on their current Stanley Cup odds.
The Florida Panthers have the best odds of the pack at +370, where they’re the odds on favorite after taking a convincing 3-0 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs. New Jersey holds the second-best odds of the trio, where they reside at +750 but trail in their series with Carolina. Dallas isn’t far behind the Devils, where they hold +900 odds, while also trailing the Seattle Kraken 2-1.
The question needs to be raised following those listings, do any of those three teams really warrant getting behind their Stanley Cup odds? If you answered no, you’re probably going to shy away from this bet. Still, the fact that you’re getting plus-money odds on three of the remaining eight teams to win the Stanley Cup feels like it at least warrants some exploring as to whether making a bet is a smart idea.
The other five teams that are not included are the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights. On the FanDuel Sportsbook, those five teams occupy the second, third, fourth, sixth, and eighth best odds to win the Stanley Cup.
With the field offering three of the four top Stanley Cup contenders, you can understand why there’s some juice attached to the price tag at -188.
There’s certainly merit in the Panthers being listed as the Stanley Cup favorite considering they’re the first team one win away from the conference final. In saying that, this feels like a team that could have its bubble burst at any time, especially if they go up against a strong two-way team like the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
Even though the plus-money price is nice on Jagr’s former teams, we believe that teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Vegas Golden Knights give the field much more value. As a result, even though the price is juiced, siding with the field here makes more sense.
